UVU softball: Wolverines take two more in Kissimmee

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Utah Valley University stayed perfect at the Rebel Springs Games, moving to 6-0 on the week, with a pair of wins on Friday. The Wolverines began the day with a 6-2 win over Green Bay before edging Fairleigh Dickinson, 2-1, in eight innings.

Tiffany Mills pitched a one-hitter and Kelli Fox had both RBIs in the win over FDU (8-8). Mills struck out six and walked one with the only run coming in unearned in the fourth inning.

Still, the senior hurler seemed in line for a tough-luck loss until the Wolverines (12-8) came back to tie it in the sixth when Morgan Summers led off with a triple and came in to score on Fox's grounder.

The game entered the eighth still knotted at 1-1, with the international tiebreaker taking effect and putting a runner at second base to start the frame. Pinch runner Dara Kosanke started at second and moved to third when Megan Peay reached first on her sacrifice bunt attempt. Summers was then walked to load the bases with nobody out, and Fox, making her return from an injury that sidelined her over the last several games, drew a walk to force in Kosanke for the walk-off win.

UVU finished with just three hits but found the runs when it needed them in winning its seventh straight contest.

"Mills pitched great and maybe should have had the no-hitter today," Wolverine head coach Rachel Hartgrove said. "Also a great performance from Fox — coming off the bench to get both RBIs for us. The winning RBI was a great at-bat, working the count full and laying off a tough pitch down and out to bring in the winning run."

In the day's first game against Green Bay, the Wolverines trailed 1-0 before a four-run fourth inning put UVU in front. Krystin Jachim led off the inning with a double and later scored on a double by Debra Lovell.

Fox and Jazmyne Cortinas both scored after an Amanda Robinson single and a throwing error at second to give the Wolverines a 3-1 lead. Peay scored the fourth run of the inning when Dynasty Lauvai walked with the bases loaded.

The Phoenix would add a run in the bottom half of the inning, but that was all they would muster as the Wolverines tacked on two more in the top of the seventh to establish the final tally.

With two RBIs apiece, Robinson and Marie Williams accounted for two-thirds of UVU's runs in the game.

"The girls did a great job capitalizing on back-to-back hits and making Green Bay earn their outs," Hartgrove said. "Peay pitched another great game and Josi (Summers) closed the door for the save. I'm proud of how the girls have been responding when behind and I feel we are becoming a dangerous team that can come back late in games."

UVU will look to close out its eight-game slate at the Games with an unblemished record Saturday when it wraps up the weekend against Rider at 7 a.m. MT and Columbia at 9.